World So Cold
by Raven Moonshadow
Summary: sequel to MT. A year after Thorn's first adventure in the land of Mythical Times she is going back after a strange vision. She finds that everything is defferent and everyone she once knew and loved changed. A new adventure is on the horizon *gundam/ronin
1. Going back

Disclaimer: I don't own Ronin Warriors or Gundam Wing. They are owned by Bandai and the what-not-company/people who do. I only own all the original characters and the storyline/plot thingy. (yes! I'm getting good at this modern English grammar/language that all us teenagers use)

            Note: Yeah as you read on into this story you will find that it's a crossover between Ronin Warriors and Gundam Wing with a few tidbits here and there. So if you first read this under Gundam Wing, don't expect it to stay that way. I'll probably switch it to Ronin Warriors and back again to get more readers because I'm so very greedy. (the more reviews that happier I am). Hehe. So that's all. Read on to this wonderful sequel to Mythical Times.

            World So Cold

            By: Raven Moonshadow

            Chapter one: Going back

_Thorn Draven.__ Normal nineteen-year-old? Nah…what are you talking about? So, get this, she was 18 when she was first transported to the realm of mystery and magic, or as she now likes to call it, Mythical Times. It was like one big drama/comedy (with the characters she traveled with why wouldn't it be)/sappy romance with a lot of action. So thus Mythical Times came from her thinking of Medieval Times which sadly is copyrighted so she had to make up her own.  -.-' Ugh, stupid copyright laws..._

_Now, after losing her lover from long ago and defeating an evil wizard with the help of her newly gathered friends (long story, don't ask her about it) she was transported back to the present day, which also happened to be a the end of the day that she had first left on (although she could have sworn she had spent nearly a whole week in the Mythical Times). With her renewed memories of her previous self, she woke to find herself with the reincarnation of her lost love, Trowa Barton now Triton Bloom. Well that's where and when the last story took place. This is now…_

_…a year later._

_                        *                      *                      *                      *_

"Um…Triton can you please get that box right there. I only have two hands." Thorn said straining to keep her box from slipping from her grasp. It was juggled in her arms, her feet tripping over themselves. Oh no she was going to trip. With a heave, she managed to lug the large box up onto the store countertop. Hahaha triumph. "Whew…one down…" She looked behind her. "…seven more to go." The dark haired girl said with a sigh of defeat. Next to the first another box was placed down, but on the floor in front of the countertop. "Thanks, Triton."

"No problem." He said with laughing forest green eyes that surveyed the room. "It looks like you can use the help." She nodded.

"Yeah, I never really realized that setting up a shop would be so hard." Thorn said walking to the pile of boxes which held her supplies and merchandise. She knelt down and opened the box to peer inside it. 

It was full of books on mythology, astrology, mystic arts, the renaissance, and all sorts of books that could be found in a metaphysical shoppe. She looked them over and then directed her attention to the shelf in the far right behind the counter with the glass showcase. 

"We can put the books there on those shelves, some of the jewelry in the showcase under the counter, and find out where to put the rest later." 

"Haven't you been procrastinating lately? The fair opens up tomorrow and you expect to finish this all in one day?" Triton asked pulling some pendants out of another box and putting them up on the showcase counter. She nodded.

"I have faith in our skills of finishing as quickly as possible and still making it look neat and organized." Thorn said with a smile as Triton made a face.

"Sure…" She knew he wanted to say something more…sarcastic to go along with that mock suspicious 'sure'. 

Thorn fingered the garnet pendent around her neck, the rearing unicorn design seemingly engraved in the center flaring up briefly. Triton didn't notice though, he was too busy cutting up some of the tougher boxes. Realizing that he was practically setting up her own shop by himself she knelt down quickly in front of two unopened boxes. 

Triton held the razor edge cutter up. "You need this?" He asked. Thorn shook her head sending the raven black strands that weren't held back in her French braid flying. 

"That's alright. I'll be fine…I have…um…nails, you know?" Thorn said holding up her hand and shaking her head. Showing him the neatly kept nails she had. The brunette male shrugged and went back to his opening of boxes. Taking the chance of his distraction her hand hovered slightly over the box and instantly it popped open under Thalia's touch. Now, for those who do not know who Thalia is, she is the incarnate spirit that lay dormant in Thorn's mind until the events of Mythical Times. Now she was awake and her magical powers were at Thorn's hands now, for Thorn had been the reincarnation of the dead sorceress. How easy her life had become after learning she had retained Thalia's powers and presence to comfort her.

Reawakened inside.

"Thorn?" Thorn's head snapped up and her gold eyes focused on Tritons worried face at the sound of his voice. He was looking at her strangely, head tilted as if searching her expression for something.

"What?" She murmured down casting her eyes from his probing forest green ones. There was a slightly tense silence between then before he looked away with a shrug.

"I don't know. You just blurred out of focus on me." Triton said. He wasn't really looking at anything in general but his eyes had landed on her costume in the corner. The one that she had woken up in after her adventure in the mythical times only to find that she was back in her own time thinking it had all been just a dream. His eyes turned back toward her. "You feeling okay?"

 _Oh yeah just down for a trip on memory lane._

She threw in a hesitant smile. "Yeah. Collage was a stress. I'm just glad summer break is here." Thorn lied. Yeah sure, collage was tough but not half as tough as facing an evil sorcerer out for your blood. Compared to that, collage was like jump rope: you just get tired of it after awhile. Luckily, though Triton didn't look all that convinced that her lie was truth, he dropped it. If there was someone who could understand another person's privacy it was Triton, for some odd reason. It was probably a remnant of Trowa's personality holding over into the next life.

"Hey guys, how's it going?" Came Triton's sisters voice from outside. Catherine stepped up into the booth, no doubt coming from her medieval weaponry booth next door.

"We're good. How's your booth?"

"Fine." 

"Sorry I stole Triton from you." Thorn said sheepishly with a half smile.

Catherine shrugged. "Hey no biggie. I've done this before, you haven't. You need all the help you can get." The auburn haired girl winked with a smirk, waving her finger expertly. Thorn pouted.

"Sorry that I happen to be the newbie." The black haired girl mumbled. She felt the smiles from both before Triton dropped one of his open boxes in front of her. It was the one full of her books. She blinked down at it.

"Here." He gave a small reassuring smile. "Put these away. I'll start on showcasing the jewelry." She nodded up at him. So sweet, so lovable, and so damn _handsome! How could she possibly resist his nudging for her to work. _

Now, she said she couldn't resist, but she never said that she wanted to work.

Her feet shuffled across the floor to the book shelf and began her placing of books on the shelves. Then she realized it would be easier to alphabetize the entire collection. Before long her hand went back into the box, only to find it empty. She blinked turning to look back at the box. Done already? No it wasn't possible, there were supposed to be more books that they had ordered. She turned back to a pile by the door. She opened another box. Incense. The next. Candles. She was running out of boxes.

"Hey Triton, where's the other box of books we ordered?" Thorn questioned, looking over her shoulder in his direction. His head popped up over the counter.

"They should be there."

"Well they're not."

"Try the back. I think I saw a few back there." Thorn nodded.

"Oh okay. I'll go check." Thorn rose and dusted off her loose black velvet pants before heading behind the counter toward the back room. She pulled aside the curtain and could already see the boxes in the far corner of the room. "Ah there you buggers are." Thorn whispered to herself and dodged around the huge cooler they had brought and the small hammock they had suspended from the ceiling for rest. Finally she grabbed the first box. Picking up the heavy object she turned and wobbled, ready to go around the other items once again but a sound stopped her.

"S-stop i-it. L-let me g-go!" Came a static and, yet, very recognizable voice that only Thorn knew. She whipped around, nearly losing balance and her grip on the box. It was fuzzy and static, nearly translucent but she recognized Duo's voice and the long braid worn by the elf. But from what she was seeing, his pointy elf ears were gone. He almost looked human except for the amethyst shade his eyes had gained from emotion. It looked like two figures were holding him. He struggled.

Thorn stepped back, surprised at what she was seeing. His name rolled off her tongue. But as soon as it left her lips the image vanished. She stood there, mouth hanging open. 

_Duo…_

What had just happened? A vision? Was Thalia trying to show her something was wrong back in the other world? Thorn slid around the hammock and cooler with the box and out to where Triton was just finishing organizing the jewelry in the display case. She quietly put down the box she was holding and looked at Triton as he put different scented bundles of incense in the holders that they had in alphabetical order. Her forehead crinkled. Maybe she could use the pendant and Thalia's magic to go back. But what about Triton? And their shop? She had to make up her mind. 

Her face set into that of determination. She would go, but first she would finish putting away what she could. That meant there was no time to spare. She hurried and opened up the box. It was filled with more books which she immediately started putting away just as Triton began organizing the colored candles on a shelf across the room. She lowered her eyes and looked back to the books she was placing away. She felt bad about leaving him but she would be back later. Somehow, someway, she would.

An hour or so later the books were away, along with a few other things, and Triton was still putting stuff up and organizing their little shop, beautifying it. He was working so hard it made her feel even worst about leaving him behind to man the shop alone.

She smiled at him as soon as he turned to face her. Quickly she walked to him, gave him a quick kiss on the cheek, and excused herself saying she would be back later. _Please don't worry if I don't come back sooner than later. Her silent wish before she took a few steps back away from him. Triton merely turned a slight shade of pink and nodded, with a small smile forming. Even though she could tell his mind was now elsewhere._

Thorn grabbed her old outfit and slipped away from the rows of shops that lined the unpaved and small road and into the forest. The one she had been found in after her first adventure to the world of Mythical Times. There she found the large willow by the lake and stood before it.

"Please let this work." Thorn whispered, her fingers curling around the garnet stone. _O virgo caelum, gratia ego, facio mea cupio verus. She closed her eyes and made the wish after her prayer, Thalia's presence was strong within her. She was wishing with Thorn. Hoping to go back to her original world. Then she felt the warmth surround her. The garnet stone glowed crimson and the unicorn in the center was glowing as well. She felt the light, fuzzy feeling of the teleportation. Thorn opened her shinning gold eyes and stared at the sky gratefully. "Ego gratias agere." _

And then she was gone, sucked up into the dark tunnel of magic that would bring her to the Mythical Times and to her friends.

~Owari

Raven: A short teaser chapter to reintroduce Thorn. I started this due to a request that I got from a friend of mine who said that they were waiting for me to make a sequel to this. He wanted to see what happens. Oh and the language that Thorn speaks at the end is Latin. If you want a translation you can ask. I don't remember much because when summer comes I tend to try to forget what I learned all year. I just know that it starts out "O sky maiden…" and then I forget the rest. Hehe *sweatdrop*. Ask me later and maybe I'll remember. I just remember that she is praying to this sky maiden and then Ego gratias agere is I give you thanks or something.


	2. What happened?

Disclaimer: I don't own gundamwing or ronin warriors. I shouldn't have to keep writing that over and over.

I'd like to thank some reviewers who gave me their thumbs-up for the first chapter:

*the review who didn't leave a name just a '…'

*Dave- a friend of mine who read Mythical Times and liked it

*Shadow Fox2

*and Arianna15

Thanks for your input. I hope to receive more reviews from you guys and other interested people.

World So Cold

By: Raven Moonshadow

Chapter 2: What happened…?

She found herself rushing headlong through a vortex of dimensional magic. It's shimmering tendrils leapt out to caress what could be touched, begging her to stay in the lonely oblivion. Sounds of undistinguishable origin rushed past her, lingering personalities of other worlds that were lost. She stared unafraid into the oncoming darkness until a light pierced the end and twinkled invitingly at her. That was it.

Mythical Times.

The whirlwind of magic cumulated and then released, wisps of enduring magic clinging to her, before leaving Thorn standing once again on solid ground. The wind wafted through her hair, carrying a metallic scent intertwined with the horrific silence.

Thalia sighed disappointedly in her minds eye.

Thorn opened her gold eyes and found herself in the middle of a battle field. A very bloody and recent one. All around her lay arrows, weapons, bodies, dismembered limbs, and tons of blood; strewn about in the after effects of a war. It wasn't a very pretty scene. Actually, it was down right disgusting, and made her step back in repulse. A loud squish from beneath her sandal and the wetness that now clung between her toes made her want to gag. 

What the hell had happened?

The landscape was destroyed and broken. This wasn't the same place she had first come to. No. It couldn't be, that place had been full of wonder and green. Instantly her mind wandered to Thalia. That was it. Thalia must have brought her to the wrong place.

"Thalia, where are we?" She asked aloud.

_"Where do ye think we are?"_

"Not where we are supposed to be."

_"That is what I had hoped for but if ye look yonder you'll see." _ Thalia retreated back into the depths of Thorns mind sadly. Following the mental blinking arrow she looked to the distance and her heart stopped. Just about the cover of trees she could see a familiar looking stone pillar.

The Tower of the Forgotten Sorceress. The one which the final battle had taken place before Thorn had left. 

Where Trowa had died protecting her.

The raven haired girl stifled her gasp behind her hand as a lone tear slid down her cheek. But how? The forest where the tower resided had been surrounded by a barrier of ice and snow. A bitter wasteland that was meant to keep everyone away from the tower. Well, if one thought about it, it was still a bitter wasteland, just with gore and blood instead of ice and snow.

"No…"her whisper carried on the wind airily. She stood in total silence viewing the land.

Something sounded under a pile of bodies and moved causing Thorn to jump back in surprise. Was something still alive?

_"There are still some that are alive yet. If we were to seek answers they would be the best to question."_ Thalia said strongly. Thorn nodded. Instantly memories of a spell flittered across her mind; Thalia's memories. The raven haired girl closed her eyes and touched her finger tips to the center of her chest, the Anahata chakra, allowing her empathic sense to flow out to locate sources of pain. All of the chakras began tingling; Sahasrara, the crow center, Ajna, the brow center, Visuddha, the throat center, Anahata, the heart center, Manipura, the solar plexus center, Svadhisthana, the sacral center, and Muladhara, the base center.

Thorn raised her upturned palm to the sky and allowed the power to flow up through her arm to collect at the center of her palm. Suddenly her eyes flew open to reveal glowing golden orbs. "Convoko Vita." A golden shock wave of energy pulsed from her hand and flowed over the battlefield. The gold settled in focal points in an aurora of gold hovering over life. One was over the pile of bodies where she had heard a sound. She jogged over and knelt. 

Thorn wrinkled her nose. Oh this was so incredibly gross that it wasn't even funny. Her hands began moving aside the gore and horror, her urge to vomit suppressed by the thought that she could be saving someone's life.

As soon as the last dead body was pushed aside the gold light flew into the body, a body that she had not been expecting. Slitted teal eyes looked up at her before it let out a loud meow.

She blinked. "A cat?"

"Meowwwww." It cocked its head to the side. Again, she could help but blink a few more times before reaching down and picking up the reddish-auburn colored cat. 

"What the hell would a cat be doing on a battlefield?" She petted it softly until a loud purr broke the silence. She smiled. "Awww…what a cute cat. If my sister wasn't allergic to cats I'd adopt you." She tickled its chin as she stood and began moving toward the next gold light.  

Much easier than the last, this body was lying above the gore with an arrow sticking out of his chest. Something about him struck a cord. He seemed so familiar and, yet, the elf ears he had threw her off track. Her fingers pressed gently against the pulse of his neck and faintly she felt his life beating. The cat let out a little hiss. She blinked. 

"What? What is it, kitty?" She asked before her eyes widened with surprise as the cat took a flying leap out of her arms and pouncing on the elf's chest. Thorn was quick to react and pulled the hissing ball of fury off the injured Elvin warrior's chest. The cat struggled against her arms. "Whoa there, kitty! I don't know why you would want to attack this man, but I won't allow you to try this again" Thorn spoke sternly to him. She held the struggling can to her chest and stroked its ears until its struggles began to subside. The cat calmed down, nuzzling against her chest, though for some reason she felt as if the cat would peek over at the wounded elf and glare. 

She shook it off and knelt beside the warrior, inspecting his wounds. "Hm…levetavus." And the elf's body rose in a gold bubble to follow her to the next three spots. Just as she reached one warrior, he died. Another was a large battle horse that lay struggling with a sword slash in its flanks. She knelt down and let her hands hover briefly over the deep wound. The gold light that had hovered over the horse's body flew into her outstretched hand and then radiated down into the horses wound, but now in a blue light of healing. With the cut now healed the horse pushed itself up and looked at Thorn before moving beside her. She smiled.

She moved to the last light and found a young soldier that looked…her eyes widened…that looked like Wufei! She immediately dropped to her knees and inspected him.  Luckily he just seemed unconscious with a few minor wounds. A dragon, just slightly larger than the man himself, lay dead, curled protectively around his body. Apparently it had protected him from the brunt of the battle. She put a gold bubble around him as well before she hoisted herself up into the horses saddle.

The cat nestled into her lap as the horse began to gallop in the direction that Thalia led it. 

Toward the tower in the distance. 

~Owari

Raven: Yeah…um *scratches the back of her head with a sweatdrop* sorry about the lack of update-age. And I don't just mean on this story but on all the others as well. The next chapter I'm also going to post under gundam fiction but then I think I'm going to post this in the Ronin section, since this is a crossover. I just haven't gotten to the ronins or warlords yet. Well that's kind of a lie. I have introduced one of the warlords, but you'll never know it's him until he reveals himself! Bwahahahaha. *Talpa appears and gnaws on her skull*

Talpa: My evil laugh, not yours! Insolent wench! *gnaws some more*


	3. familiarity

World So Cold

By: Raven Moonshadow

Chapter iii: Familiarity

Thorn slowed upon approaching the untouched forests surrounding the tower. The force field she had placed around it unconsciously had held up under all circumstances.

Guarding the tower.

She raised her hand and eased it through the shield. It glimmered silver around her hand. Immediately after recognizing her psyche it pulled back and created a gate in which she could travel through.

Thorn smiled and went through. The land was so familiar here. The crispy, black charred soil where she finally destroyed Thalia's evil father. Trowa's grave in the garden under a young willow tree. Yes. It was definitely all the same.

She jumped off the horse and pulled off its reigns and saddle, patting its flanks. "You can go nibble on the grass." She said softly. The cat, which had jumped down upon their arrival, looked up at he and then looked back to where they came from.

The bubbles floated down and dissipated around the two young men. She knelt down beside the Wufei-look-alike. Her hand glowed blue over his chest and she watched as the tiny cuts on his face and arms began to disappear. When the glowing stopped she inspected her handy work.

Something glinting on his chest caught her attention. She slid her fingers over the gold chain until it met a pendant, half hidden by his shirt. Thorn pulled it out gently and started down at the sleeping dragon etched into the gold of the pendant, an opal-ish stone clutched between its claws. "What a beautiful pendant, wonderfully crafted." She murmured. 

A hand clamped down on her wrist causing her to release the pendant in surprise. She stared down into a pair of glaring dark eyes. He threw her hand away.

"Do not touch." He spoke coldly. The cat beside her fluffed its tail up till it resembled an angry long-haired Abyssinian before it took off into the woods. The black haired young man watched it go with a glare before looking back up at Thorn, who also watched the cat run off. She turned back to the boy.

"Are you alright?" I didn't mean to intrude but it caught me eye and I wanted to see what it was."

"To steal it." He glared. Thorn blinked, taken aback.

"No. I never said that."

"But you wanted to. You thought it was pretty and wanted to have it for yourself."

"How dare you say that! I merely wanted to see it, I already have my own—"   

"What!?" He moved so quickly, lunging forward and grabbing her necklace chain. He yanked it from her corset and stared at the garnet stone with the rearing unicorn etched seemingly into the center. He dropped it then and his eyes hardened further. "You lie. You're trying to trick me." 

"What are you talking about?"

"You said you hand one too."

"You didn't let me finish. I was going to say that I already have my own pendant and have no need for someone else's." She said matter-of-factly. "Besides…I don't like stealing things anyway."

"But…"

"But nothing. Stop jumping to conclusions. I pulled you out of the battle field to heal you. I didn't know what had happened so I found those that were alive." She lowered her eyes. "I just wanted to ask you what happened to cause such a battle."

He stared at her, going through his options. He could tell her about the war currently being waged or he could call for his dragon to… his eyes widened. He grabbed her retreating wrist as she began to move to an elf with an arrow piercing his chest. She looked back at him, obviously confused. "Where is Nataku?" He asked urgently. She blinked her gold eyes at him.

"Who?"

"My dragon. Where is she?" Thorn thought back to the battle field. Her mind could only come up with the dead dragon that had been curled around this boy. She looked down sadly, staring at the dirt. His eyes widened.

"I'm sorry. But the only dragon I saw was the dead one curled around you." She said quietly. All was silent. She didn't dare look up at him. The only sound was that of their breathing and the chewing of the battle horse not too far away. When she finally managed to pull her eyes from the ground she found the young man staring down at the dirt as well, silent tears falling from his tightly closed eyes. Her heart softened in that moment. This seemingly strong boy was reduced to tears

"_The dragon was very close to yonder boy. The stone he wears is emblazed with the symbol of the dragon masters. They are given a baby dragon as soon as they are able to walk and from then on the dragon grows and plays with the child." Thalia spoke sympathetically in her mind. Thorn nodded._

"Yes. The poor guy. If I had a friend/pet that I had grown up with and suddenly I found that it died…I'd be devastated." She replied. The boy looked up at her and gave her a funny look whist wiping his eyes.

"Who are you speaking to?" Thorn blinked.

A blush began making its way up her neck to heat her face. She'd been caught talking to Thalia, which in other peoples eyes looked as if she were speaking to herself. _Lie…__Thorn, lie like a big damn rug._

_"Or ye could tell him the truth."_ Thalia suggested. Thorn paused. 

"Well, um, first I'd like to know your name before I tell you anything about myself." He raised an eyebrow at her suspiciously. She just gave him a big smile.

"I'm Wufei Chang, heir and prince of the Tyr Dragon clan of the east." He said. Thorn did a double take. Wufei!? But hadn't he been a vampire the last time she had seen him.

"You don't happen to also be a vampire?"

He gave her the funniest look.

"Why would I be a vampire?"

"Uh no reason. You just remind me of someone else. Anyway, my name is Thorn Draven, I'm a sorceress and the reincarnation of a great sorceress named Thalia. She was the one that I was speaking to seeing as her spirit is trapped inside me." Thorn said it almost casually, forgetting that people weren't accustomed to hearing such things said to them. Wufei looked a little wide eyed as he digested the information.

"How is that possible?"

"What?"

"The sorceress Thalia died over six-hundred-and-fifty years ago and the sorceress Thorn disappeared not long after the defeat of Talazrith, the sorcerer who went mad." Now it was Thorn's turn to blink at Wufei in surprise. Then as her mind processed the information it zoomed in on one little key fact.

"Six-hundred-and-fifty years ago!?!" She half shouted. "Has it really been that long? Only a year passed for me." She sat back with a finger thoughtfully pressed to her lips. Her other hand went back to stabilize herself and instead it landed on another body. Her eyes widened and she whipped around. "Crap! I completely forgot about our injured friend here!" She wanted to slap herself. He could have died. She pressed two fingers to his throat. Nope. Still alive.

A little chibi version of herself in the back of her mind wiped the sweat from it's forehead dramatically.

She shuffled her body around and placed one hand on the elves chest and the other gently grabbed the arrows shaft. "This is definitely going to hurt." She squeezed her eyes shut, gave herself a quick mental pet talk about yanking arrows from bleeding chests, and then jerked her hand upward on the staff. The arrow head, surprisingly only gave her little resistance in sliding from the flesh. She saw the elves face scrunch up in pain briefly before he began to relax. 

Thorn's hand hovered over the elf's chest. The blue light began to emit from her hand. Wufei almost looked alarmed.

"What are you doing, woman?"

"I'm sucking his soul. I think it's about time I end his suffering."

"WHAT!?!" Thorn sweatdropped.

"I'm kidding. I'm healing him." Wufei looked at her skeptically. "Really! I am. Watch." He leaned over her shoulder, keeping a steady eye on both her and the elf's wound. The skin began to knit itself together before his very eyes.

"You really are a sorceress…or at least some kind of magical healer." Wufei said almost astonished. Thorn nodded happily knowing that she had finally driven _some_ sense into his think skull. 

The elf twitched. The wound was now closed and Thorn had a suspicion that he would wake at any moment. For some odd reason, the raven haired woman also had to looked around just to make sure that anything that could be used as a weapon was out of reach. It must have been something her brain knew would be useful after seeing Wufei's reaction upon waking. She looked back to see if he was awake yet…

…and was startled to see the elf's Prussian blue eyes gazing up at her unemotionally.

~Owari

Raven: Another 3 page chapter *sigh* for some reason I just feel horrible about writing so little for you guys…well, whoever happens to be reading, I hope you like it. This is pretty good seeing as I wasn't planning to update this one until I was done with In The End which still, it seems, far from finished even with it having 11 chapters.


	4. a prince, an elf, and a sorceress

Disclaimer: I don't own them dammit! *wails* Only *sniffle* Thorn, Thalia, and *tissue blow* Hector the horse. *cries in the corner*

Key:

_memories_

_"Thalia speaking"_

_thoughts _

World So Cold

By: Raven Moonshadow

Chapter 4: A Prince, an Elf, and a Sorceress

Those eyes. 

They stared with such intensity and yet they had no real emotion in them. Once Thorn locked eyes with the elf all her thoughts seemed revolve only around his eyes. They were familiar. So similar to someone she knew. And yet the name, which was on the tip of her tongue, could not be remembered.

"Who are you?" His deep vibrating voice broke her from the name game she was having silently with herself. Thorn looked down at him. That voice was familiar too. Damn it she wanted to smack herself.

"My name is Thorn Draven. I pulled you from the battle field and healed your wounds." She said staring down at him kindly with her gold eyes. "And what, pray tell, is your name, sir elf?" 

"It is none of your concern. Is the battle over?"

Thorn nodded her head. "Yes as far as I could tell."

"Who won?" The raven haired girl shrugged.

"I really have no clue. I was kinda hoping that one of you would explain what has happened over the past six-hundred-and-fifty-years. That and why there was a war right outside Thalia's tower." He gave her strange look. Wufei leaned over her shoulder, trying to be inconspicuous, as he watched the elf's reaction.

"This girl is a sorceress, as she claims, who is also the reincarnation of Thalia." Wufei added. The elf's gaze sharpened on her noticeably. She blinked under his scrutiny and gave a meek smile.

He snorted. It looked like he had just made a decision after looking her over. "My name is Heero Yuy, elfin warrior of the Assigel Elves." He pushed up off his back. Thorn just stared at him. Heero. Heero the Shape shifter. At least he had been a shape shifter when she had first met him…she blushed. Wait. When she first met him he had-- a memory chose to bubble up to the surface in the back of her mind.

_She felt so much better now that she was in the water and cleaning herself. After 10 minutes of the soothing clean feeling Thorn was about ready to get out. She turned around…_

_Only to come face to face with a Prussian blue eyed teen…that was wearing absolutely nothing. After looking down Thorn finally seemed to realize that this was indeed a naked male and not an illusion. She blushed a bright crimson and looked away from the haunting blue eyes._

For an instant Thorn remembered his nakedness._ I wonder if he still looks good naked…_She gave herself a mental slap. _No mustn't think that way._

Thalia smirked in her mind. _"What an interesting memory that was. I must say ye have quite a way with meeting people."_

"Shut up, Thalia. I wasn't my fault he chose to sneak up on me naked." She said loudly, crossing her arms over her chest, completely forgetting that there were other people around here who were not accustomed to her random fights with Thalia. Both males gave her a look as if to say 'what the hell are you talking about'. Thorn blushed at Wufei strange look and Heero's raised eyebrow. "Um…Thalia said something to me about a memory that I just remembered."

In that very moment she wished she could crawl under a rock and die.

"She speaks to you?" Wufei asked, looking very suspicious of her insane behavior. The raven haired sorceress nodded meekly, a pinkish tint still spread across her cheeks.

"All the time."

"Hn." Heero inspected himself, now ignoring her strange behavior. "What was the memory?" He asked out of no where. Thorn blinked, her blush suddenly returning full force as Wufei looked on with interest.

"Uh…it was…it was about…" She tried to find a more suitable way of explaining that the first time she had met him had been over 600 years ago and he had been utterly naked without any remorse what so ever. "The memory was of how I met you in a previous life, over 600 years ago." She said, cutting it short and hoping that he didn't connect it to what she had said to Thalia.

He gave her a very calculating look.

"Did I happen to be undressed at the time?"

Blink.

Blink.

Her eyes became as wide as saucers. Behind her Wufei also took on a surprised look before it faded into mild amusement. 

Thorn sputtered. "Uh…"

"Well, answer him woman." Wufei prodded with an amused smirk. 

Thorn sighed in defeat.  _Fine, might as well tell him and get it over with it. _"Yeah, you were." She finally admitted. "You had appeared out of no where while I was bathing. I turned around and found you naked, crouched on the bank of the lake watching me and the water nymph Morgyn. You were a shape shifter at the time, though." She heard Wufei snort before she whipped around and glared pointedly. "Well you weren't much better when I first met you. You had been a vampire intent on eating me for dinner." She smirked triumphantly, though she really didn't know why, at him as she watched shock spread across his features.

"I was a **_what_**trying to do_ **what**_ to you?" Thorn almost laughed at the look on his face. He looked like he was struggling between shock, outrage, and embarrassment. It was actually rather funny for her to watch.

"You heard me. I said you were a vampire trying to eat me." She crossed her arms over her chest and nodded smugly as she watched his tomato tinted face.

Thalia laughed. _"Ye indeed have an interesting way with meeting people."_

"I thought I told you to shut up about that." Thorn said crossly.

_"Only when we talked of the shape-shifter gone elf. Ye said nothing of 'shutting up' about the vampire gone dragon rider."_

"Ugh…Thalia." Thorn said, her tone threatening.

"_Ye can do nothing to me."_

"I'll poke you with a Q-tip." 

Pause. "_That would cause ye pain as well"_

Smirk. "It would be worth the pain."

"Are you quite done speaking with Thalia?" Wufei's cheeks still looked oddly pink tinted, but he had crossed his arms over his chest and kept glaring at her. Heero almost looked amused. Almost.

Blush. "Yeah."

"Then we should be going." Heero said. Thorn blinked.

"Why?"

"Well my clan probably still thinks I'm dead and I'm sure the elf has to get home as well. The war is still raging." Wufei answered for Heero.

"You know you still have to tell me how this war came to be and all that other stuff." Thorn said. Both nodded.

"We'll tell you on the way there." Thorn nodded.

"Okay." She smiled and pushed herself up off the ground. Dusting her pants she called over the battle horse, who trotted over rather happily and nuzzled her arm. She stroked the fine peach fuzz around the horse's nose. "We'll have to get another horse. This one, I have no doubt, could carry all of us but I'm pretty sure that you two do not want to be sandwiched together with me on it." She raised one eyebrow with a small smirk, her hand resting on the horse's large side. 

The horse was would definitely be able to hold them. It was taller than all of them. Heero strode up and gracefully leapt onto the horse. It immediately began rearing up, snorting and neighing angrily.

And with almost as much grace he jumped down.

Thorn gripped the horse's snout, making shushing noises and petting its forehead. It wined before calming down. She smiled. "It's okay big guy. No ones going to hurt you." It snorted lightly before bending its forelegs forward and kneeling before her. She looked back at Heero and Wufei before moving around the horse and lifting at leg up, as if to straddle the horse.

"What are you doing, woman!" He looked panicked for a second. 

"Isn't it obvious that I'm getting on the horse?" She asked. Thorn hoisted herself over and gripped the horse's neck as it lifted up. It neighed happily and trotted around in a circle with a giggling Thorn on his back. "I think he likes me." She smiled down at the gaping dragon rider.

"What should we ride?" Heero asked raising an eyebrow. Thorn shrugged.

"The barrier around this tower only allows animals into it. I'm sure there has to have been at least one horse that fled into the forest. If not then I guess your riding with me…or walking."

"_Equus convokare." _Thalia prodded. Thorn sighed.

"Equus convokare." Heero and Wufei looked up, startled, as a horse, saddled and looking only slightly battle worn, emerged from the woods. The raven haired girl blinked. "Thalia…could you warn me next time. I'm still not completely used to the whole incantation things you have."

_"I am merely teaching you. You are my reincarnation. I might as well help you so you don't get this body killed._" Thalia replied. 

Sigh. "Well, we have another horse. Who's the lucky guy to ride with me?" She smiled. Wufei immediately bristled.

"I am not riding that beast of a mammal. I'll take this one." He moved toward it only to find Heero already mounted. Thorn had to stifle a giggle at his peeved look. He began yelling at the unaffected Heero who merely prompted his horse into a trot, away from the angrily yelling dark haired youth. He seemed to realize the elf wasn't listening to him and he turned.

She smiled.

He glared.

She patted the spot behind her on the horse.

He folded his arms over his chest. "No."

"Would you rather walk?" She lifted and eyebrow with a small smile twitching at the corners of her lips. He gave her a very stubborn look. Thorn shook her head and urged the gray battle horse forward. "Okay…have it your way."

Wufei was sitting behind her in an instant. She glanced behind her to catch a peek at his blushing face as he mumbled something about stupid big mammals.

She pouted. "Come on, Hector isn't that bag."

"Hector?" She heard him sputter. 

"Yes, as of this moment his name is Hector." And the three of them rode forward towards whatever town they could find to acquire supplies. 

                        *                      *                      *                      *

A pair of slitted teal eyes watched the small group exit the shimmering silver barrier. 

"I can hardly believe it. Anubis, you were right." The cat nodded.

"Of course I am. When she entered the barrier the first time I was surprised but now I am sure she is the one."

The other figure smiled, the light glinting off of pearly white fangs. "She's cute. I wonder if Master Talpa will allow me to have my fun with her. I mean, it's not everyday that you encounter a sorceress." The cat shook its head in exasperation.

"Kale…sometimes I wonder about you and your constant need for someone in your bed." He snorted before grinning in a very feline well. "Besides, Dais will want her first. You know how sorceresses and sorcerers attract."

Kale stuck out his tongue. "Not if I get to her first."

"We'll see, Kale. We'll see."

~Owari

Raven: Ha! Look, I've finally inserted a little of the ronin warriors characters into it. You've just seen two of the villains {The cat was evil from the start I tell you! EVIL! Mwahahahahaha!}. The war will be explained in the next chapter, and then…I'll start introducing Quatre and Duo and Trowa. Weeeee! I hope you all like it.  


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